You should provide the answer link in question. Depending on the question it answers, it could be the difference. A crappy question you answered and posted in chat will be mangled (to be honest depending on the voter the answer will always be mangled until perfect). But if the question is a typo, or duplicate, or just a bad question, to answer it is fine, but to advertise your answer can be farming. Not that I care, answer what you want, but yeah.
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Sterling ArcherApr 28 '14 at 20:53

@RUJordan Because I post a link in chat, you think it was a bad question that I answered? Why would you think that?
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bjb568Apr 28 '14 at 20:56

Because I've only been told I was rep farming from answering bad questions and it's pretty relevant to this issue so you should post the answer you posted so we can get some context.
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Sterling ArcherApr 28 '14 at 20:57

Well now you're just being stubborn and I'm leaving.
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Sterling ArcherApr 28 '14 at 21:01

You're leaving? Who do you think you are? The queen? No, I'm not going to post a link to my question (which would give it artificial voting) just because an unknown source tells you that the question is bad and I'm evil. No, I don't care if you leave or not, this comment thread is pretty useless.
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bjb568Apr 28 '14 at 21:04

2 Answers
2

Chat etiquette, in particular, room specific chat etiquette is dictated by the room in question.

If you go randomly to the C++ lounge for instance and dump an answer, expect a flag and downvotes. However, if you're a regular, it's more probable you'd get invaluable criticism, and better - a way to improve.

In JavaScript, it's welcome to post your own answers to questions if they've been discussed before, or if you're particularly proud of them. If you're a new user, expect some poor treatment unless you provide context.

In PHP, it's perfectly fine to post your answers regardless, not many people do so, but it's a way to ask the room for criticism.

In rooms like [Rebol and Red], it's welcome, since it brings up new discussion about the development of the language and it makes for interesting discussion from my experience.

The rules are different in Android, and in the HTML/CSS room, and in C# and in all the rooms.

Every room has its own community with its own etiquette. If you're not sure, you can just ask in the room, most rooms provide FAQs you can read.

So, to sum it up

It depends, and it's not right for meta to decide on a general rule.

Like most chat based issues, when something works fine in the community, don't go on and try to 'fix it'. This is clearly in the domain for each room to dictate and should not be debated here as-if meta means a mandate for a specific room's etiquette here in the first place.

@bjb568 you should possibly refrain from it until you think it's allowed, it's perfectly fine to ask, and don't treat one user telling you something as consensus.
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Benjamin GruenbaumApr 28 '14 at 20:51

1

I'd like to emphasize that it's not wrong to link to your answer if you're answering a question or using it to benefit the discussion. But posting your answers our of the blue is a bit odd.
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ZirakApr 28 '14 at 20:51

If you posted it in the Lounge, you probably had a rather frosty reception. I personally delight in downvoting questiondumpers, answerdumpers are rarer but usually receive the same.
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PuppyApr 28 '14 at 21:49

You definitely have more chances to get "permission", if you ask politely first.
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JefffreyApr 28 '14 at 21:51

It depends on the conversation in the room, and what the room was about. If your answer was completely off-topic, the off course you shouldn't post that. But I'll assume it was on topic.

In your particular case, it would certainly look like reputation farming. You were put a link to one of your answers, out of the context of an on-going conversation. It would have been better if you had said something like, "What do you guys think of my answer? Can I improve?" or something of the like. Then again, it depends on the people in the room. Some people will read the words on the screen wrong and thing you were rep farming no matter what. The safest thing would be to only post links when they fit in very well with the on-going conversation. So yes, I would probably say that in this case a plain link would be unacceptable.

"Out of context of an on-going conversation" No, "There wasn't much going on in the room". As I said, I thought it would get a conversation started again, and random links do look better than annoying bot pinging (Caprica). I get your point on sharing relevant links being more acceptable.
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bjb568Apr 25 '14 at 6:42

Changed that line, sorry if that was confusing. Now it's "out of the context of an on-going conversation." Forgot the "the"
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DonyorMApr 25 '14 at 6:58